Experimental and Experiential Learning in Agroecology

Karen Pannocchia
Master of Sciences Student
Environmental Studies Department

Since I joined FIU's masters degree program in Environmental Studies in the fall of 2007, I was fascinated by a number of volunteer and experiential learning opportunities provided by the Environmental Studies Department and the University. From the beginning I became involved with the Students for Environmental Action Club, a student club on campus, which is known for its campus-wide recycling and climate change initiatives. Later, I was offered a student assistantship to work in the Agroecology Lab, and saw opportunities to go on field trips with agroecology students. I became very interested in learning more about agroecology and sustainable agriculture. With the help of the agroecology scholarship, in spring of 2008, I was fortunate to become involved in a student-led initiative of establishing an organic garden on the FIU campus. Plants such as legumes, grains, fruits and flowers were planted in a 45 by 50 foot plot. Working with a group of students in Dr. Bhat's Sustainable Agriculture class, I had to experiment field techniques using low impact, limited input and low energy, which we learned during the class and related field trips.

                                               

My project involved growing loofah, lavender, red and white salvias, red Mexican hats, scabiosa, marigolds and sunflowers. By the end of the semester, I had successfully grown sunflowers, marigold plants, salvias and a loofah plant. A few of our failings highlighted the challenges of growing organically in South Florida. The methods to grow and build our garden learned from the sustainable agriculture class mimicked what we saw on class fieldtrips. Some examples of techniques used to develop the raised bed garden included applying silver mulch for pest control and building structures out of recycled materials. We also practiced the techniques of permaculture, companion planting, compared seedling survival grown in plastic trays, paper cups and paper cones, and cold- Stratification of seeds, as required.

I wanted to see how some of the techniques I learned in class and in our campus garden are practiced in real life. In the summer of 2008, I went to St. Croix, US Virgin Islands. St. Croix has been designated as a Small Island Developing State by the United Nations, as a global priority area for resource conservation. I visited the Virgin Island Sustainable Farm Institute (VISFI) at Creque Dam Farm. VISFI welcomes and guides other students that are doing their research work, internships and fellowships, http://www.visfi.org/. They also host agricultural and tourism university study abroad programs from reputable institutions such as the University of Georgia (UGA), University of Kentucky, University of Virginia, and conduct research with UGA, University of Florida, and the University of the Virgin Islands.

The campus is a subtropical moist forest 200 acre USDA certified organic farm with facilities (all solar power), infrastructure (including high speed wireless), and instructional support from a cast of degreed agriculture and tourism professionals. In addition, they have preexisting programs that focus on agroecology, agroforestry, permaculture design, and a holistic beneficial farmer training program. They also are a delegate farm representing the Virgin Islands at the international Slow Food conference held bi-annually in Turin, Italy. They do a wonderful job of fusing agricultural production with the culture that supports farming communities. I found the farm excellent for networking with other students to discuss the wide scope of issues related to agriculture.

VISFI has an active USDA-funded agroecology research, including 5 acres of annual crops with various plot designs to test the efficacy of cover cropping as a means for pest control in organic vegetable cropping. I spent time with the Institute's staff, students, and apprentices who were working at the farm activities related to sustainable agriculture, organic farming, organic cooking, eco-tourism planning, plant labeling, and educational program coordination. While at the Institute, I also had the opportunity to learn about swale management, indigenous agricultural methods, and innovative farm business models, such as Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) and incubator farm plots. I saw visitors stay and simply observe, volunteer, or take a class for college credit. I was given a rate, which included my own miniature shared four-bed cabin. Apart from the creativeness and eco-friendly nature accorded the construction of the facilities and program. What surpassed my expectations was the integration of operations; i.e. farm labor, energy production, land management, value added product experimentation, kitchen duties, and educational programs were tightly linked to the farms overall mission. Managerial overlap is a priority for this farm model, as they test farming models that streamline work to reach optimal efficiency.

In the future, VISFI hopes to create a global network of small farm and educational farm campuses to facilitate the sharing of information, ideas, and sustainable agriculture and resource management technologies. I highly recommend VISFI to Agroecology students who would like to live out their textbooks. For more information about program development, collaboration, or student recruitment, they can be found on-line at www.visfi.org and the program director Nate Olive may be reached at nate@visfi.org or 340-206-0238.

I am thankful to the FIU Agroecology Program and the USDA CSREES HSI Higher Education Grant Program (USDA-CSREES Grant Number 2005-36422-15940) that provided funding support for my project.